T.G.I.F!

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Christina

Friday is finally here! The long weekend is behind me and my birthday weekend can now begin! To start things off right, I’ve made my first batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Just what the birthday girl ordered! 😉 Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or Earth Balance 50/50 sticks
1/2 cup Swerve
1/2 cup blue agave
1 egg
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 droppers Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1.75 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 tsp. gluten-free baking soda
1 tsp. xantham gum
3/4 cup gluten-free chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter, swerve, agave, egg, vanilla, and stevia in mixing bowl. Mix in coconut until just combined. Add next 3 ingredients to wet batter and blend well. Hand stir in chocolate chips.

Place 2 inch scoops on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 11-13 minutes or until edges start to brown. Let cookies cool slightly and use a spatula to remove from cookie sheet and place on wire rack.

Have a sweet weekend!

Cocoa Almond Milk Iced Latte

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Christina

A decadent latte with 1/2 the calories!

Cocoa Almond Milk Iced Latte

Prep – 10 minutes – Chill – 1 hour – Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 cups cold water
1/2 cup espresso (or French) roast coffee
2 cups organic almond milk (unsweetened vanilla, chocolate, or plain)
2 packets instant hot cocoa mix (gluten-free mixes available)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Ice cubes

Directions:

Brew coffee, with 2 cups cold water, in drip coffeemaker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in milk, cocoa mix, and almond extract until well combined. Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Only 50 calories per serving!!!

Lemonade Rice Crispy Treats

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Christina

Here’s a twist on a classic that you and your little ones are sure to enjoy this summer!

Lemonade Rice Crispy Treats

Lemonade Rice Crispy Treats – Total Time: 15 minutes – Makes: 15 squares

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
6 cups Crispy Rice

Melt butter over low heat in saucepan. Add marshmallows & stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add white chocolate chips and lemon zest to marshmallow mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add Crispy Rice to mixture and stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Spray a 13×9-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Spread out evenly with hands or spoon.
Let cool completely and serve!

Strawberry Delight!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Christina

Today is National Pick Strawberries Day, so we decided to celebrate by visiting our local strawberry patch – The Girls Strawberry U-Pick in Delray Beach, FL. My son loved running up and down the aisles picking the biggest & brightest strawberries he could find. It was a little slice of country right in the city. 🙂

Whether you enjoy picking your own from the farm or from your local supermarket – grab a handful and try this incredible recipe from Sip. Saute. Savor.

Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Grand Marnier

Ingredients:

1 package very large strawberries (about 10 berries)
8 ounces dark chocolate (I like Ghiradelli Intense Dark)
1 Tablespoon solid shortening or butter
1-2 ounces Grand Marnier (other options are Frangelica, Chambord,Cointreau or Amaretto)
Mini dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts, crushed oreos, melted white chocolate (optional)

Directions:

The best way to prepare for this recipe is to make a rectangular piece of Styrofoam and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. If you do not have any Styrofoam handy you can easily place the chocolate covered strawberries on a piece of wax paper to dry.

Wash strawberries, leaving stems and leaves intact, then pat dry. Inject the Grand Marnier into each strawberry being careful not to overfill.

To melt dark chocolate, place chocolate, broken into pieces, into a 4-cup microwave safe measuring cup. Add shortening/butter and place in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and, if not all melted, repeat on high for 30 additional seconds. Make sure you stir well and give the chocolate that is still in pieces time to melt. Do not overheat.

Take strawberries and spear with a toothpick (if using a Styrofoam form) then, one at a time, swirl gently in warm dark chocolate covering about 3/4 of the strawberry.

Optional: Roll immediately in mini dark chocolate chips, crushed oreos or finely chopped nuts. You can also add a drizzle of melted white chocolate once the dark chocolate has cooled.

Place toothpick into Styrofoam and let dry. If just using only wax paper you can hold the strawberry stem and swirl it in the chocolate then set onto the wax paper to dry.

Makes 10 chocolate covered strawberries.

Option: You can add 1 Tablespoon of cream and 1 Tablespoon of Grand Marnier directly into the chocolate for dipping and eliminate the need for injecting into the berry with a syringe.

A Sweet Treat for any Occassion

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Christina

Today we celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day and what better way to honor these sweet, delicious morsels of heaven than to give you 10 recipes to choose from! Or, if you’re like me, you can just grab a handful out of the bag and enjoy right away! Nom Nom Nom!